The Humanitarian Parole Program, implemented in the United States at the beginning of 2023, has benefited more than 100,000 Cubans so far this year.
According to figures shared this weekend by the US Department of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), 52,053 Cubans have been allowed to travel to the North American country since January, the date of the immigration step.
In addition, parole was granted to 50,185 Cubans who have arrived at the US border in recent months, who had to wait in Mexico.
In this way, Cuba is located as the third country that has been helped a lot through parole, surpassed by Haiti, with 96,445 travel permits and 85,258 endorsed; Venezuela, with 73,092 travel requests and 66,893 at the border.
In last place was Nicaragua, which saw 44,298 travel approvals and received 38,070 US border approvals.
It is important to note that the administration of Joe Biden announced the program as a measure to reduce the entry of illegal migrants across the Mexican border, something that ended up being realized in the following months.
Compared to last year’s figures, the number of Cubans who entered the country illegally decreased significantly, ending with 121,000 irregular entries in 2023, while 2022 recorded 223,000 illegal entries. .
To begin the humanitarian parole process, citizens of Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua or Haiti must have a sponsor in the United States. It must be a permanent resident and undertake to cover all food, housing and medical expenses required by the beneficiary.
The measure was implemented to prevent migrants from becoming a burden on the economy of the community where they arrived.
The sponsor must send an email to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which must have a Form I-34A for each beneficiary they wish to sponsor.
Currently, the humanitarian parole program is going through the process of challenging the US courts, which will be explained at the end of October.
The class action lawsuit was filed in about twenty Republican states, including Florida, which complained about the number of migrants who came to the aid of the measure. They argue that their services such as schools are overwhelmed by the high number of migrants, which represent additional costs.
This argument is denied by the US government, which points out that the program has saved tens of millions of dollars by reducing the number of illegal entries across the border.
